Should You Have a Live Funeral?

With families living further apart than they ever have before, it’s often difficult to travel long distances for weddings, funerals, and similar events. However, technology can help. If you want family and friends to be able to attend your loved one’s memorial service without travelling or incurring expenses, you may want to livestream the funeral. Here’s what you need to know if you want to arrange a live funeral.

What Is a Live Funeral?

A live funeral is a funeral broadcast live over the internet. There are multiple websites that make it easy to broadcast live video, and you don’t need that much equipment. This option is ideal for anyone who wants to include friends and family in other locations who wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise.

Which Websites Are Best for Live Funerals?

If you want to broadcast the funeral online, the easiest most straightforward options are Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. With Facebook and Instagram, your virtual guests need a profile on these sites to watch the livestream, but with YouTube, that isn’t necessary. On all of these sites, you can set up the video so that it’s public and can be viewed by anyone or so that only invited guests can watch.

There are also sites devoted completely to livestreaming such as One Room, Periscope, and UStream. With these sites, guests don’t need to be a member. They just need a link so they can watch the live funeral.

How Do You Film a Live Funeral?

Depending on the level of quality you want, there are a lot of filming options. The simplest option is to film the funeral with your phone and use one of the above apps or websites to broadcast. Alternatively, you can use a digital webcam, microphones, and a computer to record and broadcast your live funeral if you desire better quality. Either way, you may want to look into setting the camera on a stand or tripod to eliminate shakiness or movement of the camera during filming.

What Are the Advantages of a Live Funeral?

The biggest draw of a live funeral is that they allow family and friends who wouldn’t normally be able to attend the funeral to be there. With most live feeds, users also can upload comments during the ceremony. That means that these people can share their condolences or even offer eulogies remotely.

However, a live funeral also benefits the family. When you lose a loved one, it can be very reassuring to receive messages or emotional support from other grievers, and a live funeral broadens those possibilities.

How Do You Invite People to a Live Funeral?

You can let people know about a live funeral in a variety of ways. You can mention the livestream in the obituary or funeral notice, but you may also want to send emails, social media messages, or even cards to let people know about the livestream.

To get help planning your loved one’s memorial service, contact Boston Cremation today at (781) 322-0909. We have been serving families in the Boston area since 1910, and our goal is to make cremation simple. We also offer pre-planning services so you can set up everything in advance.

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